Phoenix: Reason for the Season
by Fireteam Pluto
Summary: By Neeb. "'Twas the night before the Dawning, and all through the halls/ Not a creature was stirring, for closed were the malls/ Our heroes bundled up in wool and in fleece/ Sought out the perfect gifts to share all apiece." My terrible rhyming aside, join fireteams Pluto and Hades on this festive night!


Snowflakes swirled in a delicate flurry, clinging onto the thin windowsill briefly before either falling away or melding into the growing layer of frost upon it. The sunset was masked by thick dark gray storm clouds that promised to cover the Last City, and especially the Tower, in a blanket of white by the morning.

Gathered in a warm apartment, five of the Tower's resident guardians celebrated.

Phoenix, the hunter of Fireteam Pluto, sat on the couch, wearing a deep green fleece sweater adorned with reindeer across the chest, and black pants.

Koru Sen, warlock of Fireteam Pluto, sat on the arm of the couch in a white turtleneck sweater. His raven-black hair was neatly combed and parted to the side. His skin was a dusky but bright blue.

Eve Delaine, the warlock and leader of Fireteam Hades, sat cross-legged on the floor wearing a long red and white sweater and comfortable dark gray sweatpants. Her skin was a sunkissed tan, her eyes bright emerald, and her dark brown hair just barely touched her shoulders.

Ozara-4, titan of Fireteam Hades, wore a plain gray blouse with black slacks. Her robotic features were painted with a vibrant green finish and her optics glowed a soft blue hue.

Lilei Nizo, the huntress of Fireteam Hades, wore a black and yellow pullover hoodie with plain opaque black tights. Her navy blue hair was cropped short. Her skin glowed a pale violet.

"Oh yeah, by the way," Phoenix fumbled through his pockets briefly, "Merry Christmas everybody!" He handed the others small packages wrapped in colorful green and red paper. He smiled wide and pushed the hair out of his green eyes.

"Hmm? Thank you." Koru took the small gift and peered down at it. He turned it over in hands, a smile touching his lips at Phoenix's surprisingly decent penmanship on the small tag.

Each of the women passed the parcels to the exo woman of the trio, her robotic features lighting up in glee as she gathered them and made to put them in the corner. She exclaimed, "Oh, should we get the gifts out now?"

Eve stood up quickly and nodded, patting her friend on the shoulder. "Sure Oz, let's get 'em ready."

Lilei leaned forward and eyed Phoenix suspiciously. Her silver eyes narrowed and she furrowed her brow, resting her chin in her hand. "What exactly _is_ Christmas?"

"Huh?" Phoenix asked, "You mean this isn't a Christmas party?"

"No?" Lilei answered, clearly confused.

"It's a Dawning party, Phoenix." Koru explained. As if suddenly remembering something, he hastily added, "Right, it's your first time. Guardians in the Tower celebrate a holiday called the Dawning. It's a reminder to keep hope alive in the dark nights of winter. We…" He trailed off slightly, "…give gifts to each other and…"

"Sounds like Christmas." Phoenix smiled. "Except without Santa, or baby Jesus, or that movie about the kid killing burglars. And less presents I think."

Koru clasped his hands together in his lap and stared at them for a while.

Eve and Ozara-4 emerged from the hallway, each carrying a stack of gifts wrapped in colorful paper featuring various designs and cute animals, and more than a few gift bags overflowing with tissue paper. They knelt down and began stacking them up in the corner.

"Nevermind." Phoenix nodded approvingly. "About the same number of presents."

"Hey Phoenix," Koru suddenly sat upright and then stood, grabbing for his coat. "Let's go check on Roy."

"Uh, he said he was gettin' the tree." Phoenix gave Koru a confused look and took a sip from his hot chocolate. "He'll be fine."

Koru glanced furtively to Eve, and avoided a sly knowing look from Lilei. "Come on, I think I need to check something." He hissed, " _Now_."

"Okay, okay, calm down." Phoenix set his cup down and pulled his own jacket on over his thick sweater. He followed Koru out the front door and into the bitter cold.

The warlock nearly slammed the door shut and hung his head. "Phoenix, I can't believe it. I'm a damn idiot."

"Hey now, that's me and Roy's job."

" _Roy and I_." Koru corrected in spite of himself.

"Exactly."

"Phoenix," Koru looked up to the hunter with desperation in his glowing golden eyes. "I forgot to get anything for Eve."

Phoenix frowned and nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess you're right. You're a _lot_ dumber than I thought."

"We need to find something for tonight." Koru crossed his arms and looked up to the sky.

"What's this ' _we_ ' business?" Phoenix laughed. "You messed it up, you fix it. And it's freezing out here."

"You know more about girls than I do. I need your help."

"Yeah but she's your girlfriend. You know her better." Phoenix thought for a moment. "Why not ask Oz? She's her best friend."

"Because I don't want her to think I'm a bad boyfriend."

"You kinda are, though." Phoenix shook his head. "Okay, how about Lily? She probably knows what Eve wants."

"You really think _she_ would help _me_?" Koru asked, quite rhetorically.

After a moment the hunter shrugged. "Yeah, good point. Okay, let's make this quick though."

"Any ideas?"

"Why not check in the Tower and get some ideas from some people who work with her?"

"That's almost brilliant." Koru frowned. "Come on, the office will close soon."

 **II**

The air was still and peaceful as the flurries dusted the ground. Their boots crunched into the snow and kicked up wisps of delicate powder. Strings of bright lights were strewn up along the tall trees on either side of the Tower's main plaza, and various accoutrements decorated the vendor stalls, though they were all notably umanned. The bounty board still glowed faintly, manned by the unflinching frame robot Xander 99-40, upon which someone had taped a pair of fake reindeer antlers.

Warm light glowed from the Vanguard Hall. The two guardians trudged forward and descended the stairs into the pleasantly cozy hall.

"How about socks? Everyone could use a good pair of socks." Koru suggested.

"What are you, her mom?" Phoenix answered.

"Maybe a starter deck of cards? I've been trying to get her into this game I play…"

"Save that nerdy shit for _your_ birthday."

"Uhh, she likes to keep her teeth clean. Dental floss?"

"Wow you are so bad at this."

A flash of movement stopped them as they hit the final landing. Nestled between her dark-colored jars and wrapped in layered scraps of cloth was Eris Morn, her three eyes glowing a vivid, sickly green. She forced herself further into the corner and stared at them expectantly. Her nook was notably barren of any festive Dawning decor.

"Uhh," Phoenix stared, mouth agape. "Hi?"

"Hello." Eris muttered almost cordially.

"Okay." Phoenix made to walk away. "Anyway, let's go."

"Wait." Koru reached out and grabbed Phoenix's shoulder to drag him back. He turned to the woman, "Eris, you work with the warlocks, right?"

"Correct." She answered.

"The Hidden?" Koru continued. Ikora Rey's special reconnaissance units - spies, more accurately - were an open secret among the Guardians. He turned to Phoenix and explained, "Eve told me she's gotten multiple offers from Ikora to join."

"Oh." Phoenix shrugged. "That's cool I guess."

Eris chuckled and wrapped her moth-eaten blankets tighter around her. "What would a boy like yourself desire to know about the Hidden?"

"Maybe why they chose such a dumb name." Phoenix muttered. Koru elbowed him lightly.

"Well," Koru cleared his throat, "I need an idea about what to give someone for a gift. She's considering going into that line of work, so maybe if I could get something that would be useful to her, you know..." He trailed off when he noticed Eris' blank expression.

Eris could barely stifle a laugh. "Ha! There is no greater gift to a Hidden agent than a quick mind and a quicker trigger finger. Nothing you could give."

The warlock sighed. "I suppose I don't know what I expected."

Just as they were turning to leave, she called out, her voice low and grave. "Though, she _may_ appreciate a warning. _Do not join_ the ranks of the Hidden."

Phoenix frowned. "Why not?"

At that, Eris could only laugh. She buried herself beneath her blankets and pretended to ignore them.

The two men shared a glance and a shrug. "Useful, I guess." Koru continued on down the hall.

The hallway was flanked by two workstations.

On the left the battle frame Arcite 99-40 was diligently working at a computer terminal. Behind the counter was an array of firearms resting on weapon racks and hanging displayed on the wall. Its chassis was outfitted for battle with horns adorning the sides of its head. A plastic light-up nose had been strapped to its face, but it paid it no mind.

To the right Lord Shaxx stood tall and proud, watching and listening to the various matches being played in the Crucible. He wore his heavy pale and orange armor, lined with a fur collar, his one-horned helmet was visorless, and a bright red and white festive hat was stretched over his helmet. On the wall behind him were dozens of trophies taken from minions of the darkness: skulls, shields, blades, and banners.

Lord Shaxx nodded as the two men entered, and he promptly returned to watching a dozen video feeds at once. After a moment he spoke, his voice a projection of his already commanding presence, yet surprisingly soft in volume. "Gentlemen."

"L-lord Shaxx." Koru stammered. "I was hoping you could assist me."

"I am busy." The Crucible handler motioned to the screen in front of him. Live feeds from dozens of live-fire matches were going on simultaneously.

"Watching TV?" Phoenix remarked. He was promptly ignored.

"Well you see Lord Shaxx, I uh," Koru looked away nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "I forgot to get Eve anything for the Dawning, and I was thinking you could help out, since you know her so well, and -"

Lord Shaxx thrust something into his hands before he could finish speaking. "Miss Delaine is a formidable warrior already. Nothing in the armory could outshine her arsenal, and no piece of armor could make her more effective in the field. But there is _never_ an excuse to slack in maintaining that excellence."

Koru looked down at the object in his hands. It was a black square leather-bound case. On its front face was a ribbon and a tag that read 'from Lord Shaxx'. He unclasped the button on the side and opened it. Within was a rough black whetstone and a dark glass bottle of oil. A small paper note, written in the same script as the tag, read 'Coupon: redeem for one free massage'.

"Wow." Phoenix smiled. "A rock and a shot. Good call, Shaxx."

The larger man simply stared the hunter down. "I know." He continued, "I had intended to give that to her tomorrow, but you look to be an able courier."

"I don't think that's a compliment." Koru muttered with a frown.

"It isn't." Shaxx responded simply.

The warlock sighed and put the package away in his coat pocket. "Come on Phoenix, let's try the Vanguard."

The two of them made their way further down the hallway. Phoenix whispered, " _Dude_ , is he trying to bang your girl?"

"I'd prefer not to think about it."

"Okay, but _I_ am. Shit's fucked, bro."

The Vanguard Hall was its usual arrangement of functional disarray. The frames along the wall still dutifully performed their mundane tasks at their computer terminals. In the central pit was the Vanguard war table, littered on one end with piles of Ikora's books and research notes, in the center with dozens of Cayde-6's map and various knick-knacks and tools, and on the other end with holographic displays of the Tower, the Wall, and various districts of the Last City.

The Vanguard themselves were seated around the table. Cayde-6, an exo male with a blue finish, the hunter vanguard, was wearing a tacky green and red sweater, laughing at his own most recent joke. Ikora Rey, a dark skinned woman, still clad in her traditional purple robes, took a sip of her hot chocolate from a snowman-shaped mug. Commander Zavala, though stern of face and blue-gray of skin, and studying the reports laid out in front of him, wore a cozy red scarf around his thick neck. They each looked up to see the two young guardians enter.

"Well hey, _now_ the party's started!" Cayde exclaimed and took a mighty swig of his eggnog. He set the glass down next to a half-empty bottle of bourbon. "What brings you boys here, Fifi? And uh," He paused and waggled his finger at Koru. "Don't tell me, it would be on the tip of my tongue if I had one." He looked to Ikora. "I _know_ I know that one's name."

"Not much," Phoenix laughed and stepped down to approach the Vanguard. "Koru here just needs to learn how to be a better boyfriend is all."

"Ah-ha, _that's_ it! Koru. Koru." Cayde turned in his chair, nearly stumbling out of it, but managed to catch himself. "Ha, what's up, the missus catch you with the dog?"

"Excuse me?" Koru asked.

Ikora shook her head and beckoned Koru to join them. "You'll have to excuse Cayde. He has had several drinks now. Normally he can handle his liquor, _but_ ," She sighed.

"Whoa!" Phoenix chuckled as he examined the bottle of bourbon Cayde had next to him. "Roy must _really_ like you, Cayde. This is super strong."

"Oh please," Cayde waved clumsily and reached for his drink again. "Everyone loves me." He took a sizable gulp.

Koru shrugged. "If you must know, I forgot to get Eve anything for the Dawning. I was going to ask if you -"

Cayde cut him off. "Wait, hold on. You and the little bird are _still dating_?" He leaned back and made a crude gesture using one index finger and a circle made with the index finger and thumb of his opposite hand. He laughed out loud. "Ha! Ikora, pay up!" He slammed his palm down on the table hard.

"Later." Ikora said softly but sternly. "Continue."

Koru, befuddled, kept going. "I was going to ask if any of you had any ideas of what I could get her?"

"It's the eve of the Dawning." Zavala explained. "Most stores are closed. The three of us are going to close the office soon. Even the Crucible will take a break for the festivities. Not a long one, but I digress. What _exactly_ are you hoping to accomplish here?"

The warlock dug his hands into his pockets. "I don't know, advice?"

Zavala stood up straight and held his hands at his sides. "I suggest you tell her the truth. Tell her it slipped your mind, and that you are sorry. She will understand."

"Pfft." Cayde shook his head. "No she won't. Hey kid," He looked to Koru and motioned to him with his glass, sloshing around with eggnog and bourbon. "You do that, you'll be as single and lonely as Zavala. Like, _forever_. You need to get her, like, a new vibrator or something."

Phoenix snickered.

"Cayde." Ikora admonished him. He did not heed her.

"Hey, have you looked into natural male enhancement?" Cayde continued. "Bigger is better, am I _right_ Ikora?"

" _CAYDE_." Ikora snapped at him, but almost immediately regained her composure. "Please stop talking."

Cayde shrugged and poured himself more eggnog. Phoenix took it upon himself to pour the bourbon for him.

Ikora ushered Koru aside and smiled wanly. "Mister Sen, I believe miss Delaine might appreciate this." She patted him on the shoulder and produced a thick hardcover book from the pile of tomes on her table. On its cover was a complex geometric pattern with a glowing red circle in the center, its background was a myriad of stars from a distant night's sky. The title read, ' _Spacetime Distortions and the Vex Schism Residing Therein: A Theoretical Exploration of Alien Depolarizability in the Contemporary Century, volume XIII_ '. Below, in a smaller sized print, was ' _Written by Asher Mir. Edited by Ikora Rey_ '.

Koru grinned wide, his eyes lighting up. "A new Asher Mir?"

"Not even on the market yet. This one is first edition. And," She opened the front page for a second with a smirk, "It's _autographed_."

Koru took the book almost reverently. "Are you sure?"

The warlock vanguard smiled. "Positive. Consider it a favor. Besides, I have _no_ shortage of angry correspondence signed by the man." She sighed. "He's _certainly_ more tolerable in writing, at least."

"Thank you." Koru clutched the book and resisted the powerful urge to pore over it immediately. He looked up to Ikora's warm gaze. After a moment he frowned. "So, do I hug you now, or…?"

Ikora took her mug and sipped from it, glaring at him from over the rim. "Please don't."

"It's a Christmas miracle!" Phoenix exclaimed and threw his hands up with glee. He was met with confused stares.

"The fuck's a Christmas?" Cayde asked quite seriously.

 **III**

"Thank you, Phoenix." Koru raised his voice a little to be heard over the rising wind. The storm was picking up, sending the falling snow down in a growing promise of a blizzard. The hall leading to Eve and Ozara's apartment was blocked from the worst of the snowfall, but the chill and howl of the wind was palpable.

"Of course, bro. I mean, I don't know if I really _helped_ all that much. It felt like I was just there for a few asides and to make the interactions a little more awkward." He looked up to the sky, a mass of dark blue clouds obscuring the moon and stars. "Weird." He caught a snowflake on his outstretched tongue.

"Regardless, I don't know what I would have done without you."

As they neared the apartment door, Koru stopped and produced the two items he had procured. He studied them for a moment.

"What's up?"

"I'm wondering," The warlock said, "Do I pass these off as the gifts I got her, even if they were from other people? Wouldn't she be suspicious?"

"No?" Phoenix offered.

"Huh." Koru opened up the leather case Shaxx had given him, plucked the piece of paper out of it and crumpled it up, tossing it over his shoulder. It was carried by the wind down the hall. Then he tore off the tag from the front and did the same with it. "I guess when you put it that way."

Phoenix pat Koru's shoulder reassuringly and waited a moment for the warlock to suitably hide the gifts before opening the door. A flood of hot air escaped into the chilly night, and the two of them stepped into the warmth and light again.

"There's my lads!" Commander Roy shouted happily. He was dressed in a bright purple onesie adorned with white snowflakes of varying sizes and shapes. He was reaching up to the top of the large pine tree he had procured. He stepped back to admire his handiwork, stroking his thick black beard in an imitation of serious contemplation. "Alright Clutch, just stay there all night now."

" _God, I hate you so much._ " Clutch, Commander Roy's ghost, a small robotic piece of the Traveler's light itself, audibly sighed but remained sitting at the top of the tree.

The ladies of Hades looked up to greet them, all variously involved in decorating the tree. Eve handed her length of gold tinsel to Lilei and leaned over the couch to give Koru a quick kiss. "So, did you manage to check on Roy?" She inquired with obvious snark.

He rolled his eyes and rushed past her gently. "Excuse me," He stepped into the hall and disappeared. A moment later he returned with two gift bags, both marked with a tag that read ' _To: Eve. From: Koru_ ", and placed them under the fresh tree. Satisfied, he returned to his spot on the couch. It would be a night to remember.

"Here, drink up!" Roy laughed and passed around full bottles of dark rum with colorful bows taped to the sides. The bottles' labels each featured a grinning pirate captain standing triumphantly upon a barrel. "I got you guys the best stuff I could find."

"Oh wow," Lilei whistled, "And you didn't drink it all on the way here?"

"It's a Christmas miracle!" Phoenix shouted again happily as he opened his bottle.

"Yeah! Go Christmas!" Roy answered as he poured everyone a shot.

"See?" Phoenix announced, feeling vindicated. "Even _Roy_ knows what Christmas is."

"Yeah!" Roy shouted.

"Wait for it." Koru smirked.

Roy frowned and turned to the warlock. "Koru, what's a Christmas?"

"Oh come on!" Phoenix shouted to the ceiling in frustration.


End file.
